Credit: Contributed photo

New York City cabbies to get 'schooled'

Sprint Nextel cloaks the Big Apple in yellow and black

RESTON, Va. -- "Cabbies will be schooled" may be wishful thinking for many New Yorkers. Put those words on top of a New York City taxi cab and competition is suddenly in the air. Sprint Nextel will celebrate the close of a year of high-speed NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing action by covering key New York City areas with advertising and branding elements to promote the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Awards Ceremony Dec. 2 at the famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

Credit: Contributed photo

"We are here this week to celebrate the success of the 2005 season, the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Champion and NASCAR's 25th year in New York City," said Michael Robichaud, vice president of sports marketing for Sprint Nextel. "The signature Sprint Nextel yellow and black messaging is part of a strategic branding and advertisement campaign to engage new fans and take the fast-growing sport in the country to a new level. Branding is key to our overall awareness as a Fortune 50 company but also as NASCAR's premier series sponsor."

From taxi cabs to bus shelters and phone kiosks to coffee cups, Sprint Nextel will cover the streets of the Big Apple near the Waldorf-Astoria with its signature yellow and black. Airport shuttles and taxis will be wrapped with messaging, such as "This shuttle can reach speeds of up to 85 mph. How cute." and "It's 40 minutes from JFK to Manhattan. Five, if Tony Stewart is driving." In addition, Sprint Nextel will brand street posts and newspaper weights in the 10 blocks surrounding the Waldorf.

Another component in the campaign features traditional New Yorkers, including a horse-drawn carriage driver, a cab driver and a Wall Street businessman, holding or wearing NASCAR Nextel Cup Series gear on the streets of Manhattan. The ads celebrate the spirit of NASCAR during Champion's Week in New York City and its growing fan base across the nation.